The title of my blog is Time 2 Change Churches. It is about bringing our churches "back" to biblical preaching and teaching. It is about seeing our church from a biblical perspective. Is your church teaching obedience to God's Word? Holiness? Reverence? Righteousness? Are you taught that it is necessary to be born-again? Where does repentance fit in with your walk with Christ? Do you evangelize? Or is your church just teaching you a new joke or two each week?
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Saturday, May 17, 2008

Disasters and Prophecy being fulfilled!

2007: record year for disastersDisasters hit the U.S. from coast to coast; need for volunteers to aid in recovery continues.December 31, 2007

All the facts indicate that losses caused by weather-related natural catastrophes will continue to rise...We should not be misled by the absence of megacatastrophes in 2007.

—Torsten Jeworrek

Tornadoes, floods, freak winter ice storms, wildfires, and public violence throughout the U.S. all kept disaster responders busy in 2007. And with recovery still ongoing in many areas, opportunities abound for volunteers to sign on to help.

"We can always use volunteers," said a spokesman with Appalachia Habitat for Humanity, echoing a familiar refrain among community and faith-based disaster response organizations.

While many disasters have faded from the headlines, the need for volunteers continues, according to responding organizations. Volunteers continue to be needed along the Gulf Coast to help in the ongoing recovery from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, as well as in response to catastrophes from New York to California (a list of volunteer opportunities can be found at www.disastervolunteers.org).

Few U.S. disasters captured and riveted the nation's attention in 2007, unlike in 2005 when Katrina and Rita decimated the Gulf Coast. Worldwide it was a record year with at least 950 major disasters recorded.

In fact, the U.S. got off relatively easily during the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, with only one storm, Hurricane Humberto, making landfall in Texas in September. The Category 1 hurricane formed from a tropical depression within 18 hours.

Other countries, including Mexico, Honduras, Jamaica and Nicaragua, didn't fare as well during hurricane season. Mexico and Jamaica were battered by Hurricane Dean; Nicaragua and Honduras were pounded by Hurricane Felix. Both Felix and Dean were top-level Category 5 hurricanes; it was the first time that two Category 5 storms made landfall in the same season.

Despite the lack of hurricane activity in the U.S., there were still numerous disasters from coast to coast, ranging from widespread drought in the Southeast to devastating wildfires in Southern California. The drought was among Time magazine's top 10 natural disaster stories for 2007.

Near the end of 2007, there were 63 major federal disaster declarations issued nationwide, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. That number could change as some requests were still coming in – such as for December ice storm damage in the Midwest – and some were pending.

The number of declarations for 2007 was up from 52 one year earlier and from 48 in 2005, FEMA said.

A total of 32 states, stretching from Maine to California, received major federal disaster declarations, freeing up federal assistance for recovery efforts. Some states, hit multiple times by various catastrophes, received more than one disaster declaration during the year.

Among disasters which occurred in the U.S. in 2007:

- Wildfires: Nearly two dozen wildfires raged across Southern California in October, burning more than 500,000 acres from Santa Barbara County to the Mexican border, destroying nearly 2,000 homes and leaving 12 people dead. Insured losses were put at $1.9 billion. Numerous organizations, including those under the umbrella of Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster in San Diego were aiding in the recovery.

The Southern California wildfires, fueled by fierce Santa Ana winds, came about four months after the Angora wildfire destroyed more than 250 homes in the Lake Tahoe area.

- Tornadoes: A powerful EF-5 tornado leveled the small town of Greensburg, Kan., on May 4. The twister left a path of destruction 22 miles long, destroying about 90 percent of the rural community. The storm killed 10 people in Greensburg and two others outside the town. Rebuilding is under way and is being spearheaded by the South Central Kansas Tornado Recovery Organization.

Other tornadoes during the year caused extensive damage throughout the U.S. Among them: an EF-4 twister Aug. 26 which damaged about 90 percent of the homes of Northwood, N.D., a swarm of tornadoes on March 1 that ripped through the Southeast, causing widespread damage in both Americus, Ga., and in Enterprise, Ala., where nine people were killed including eight students at the local high school, and an Oct. 20 twister that tore through the Indiana town of Nappanee, damaging or destroying about 250 homes and businesses.

Another twister, this one in the Missouri town of Caruthersville on April 2, destroyed about half of the community. Two months earlier, on Feb. 2, twisters ravaged parts of Lake, Volusia, Sumter and Seminole counties in Florida, leaving 20 people dead and destroying nearly 1,000 homes.

There was also an extraordinary tornado in August that hit, of all places, Brooklyn, N.Y. The EF-2 twister, with winds of 110 mph to 135 mph, affected about 200 families.

– Floods: Back-to-back storms in early December in the Pacific Northwest caused massive flooding in coastal Washington and Oregon. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and the storm was blamed for at least seven deaths in the two states. Damages could run into the billions of dollars, according to Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire.

Flooding earlier in the year affected much of the central U.S., including Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and South Dakota. In some cases, homes were so badly damaged that they had to be torn down. Recovery efforts are taking places in many of the affected areas.

- Bridge collapse: A bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis collapsed during the evening rush hour Aug. 1, plunging vehicles and motorists into the water. Thirteen people were killed and about 100 others were injured.

- Public violence: Thirty-two people at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., were shot and killed in an April 16 rampage by a 23-year-old student. The gunman, Seung-Hui Cho, shot and killed himself. It was believed to be the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.

- Mine cave-in: A mine collapse Aug. 6 at the Crandall Canyon coal mine in Utah trapped six miners. Three rescuers died 10 days later in another mine collapse in an unsuccessful efforts to reach the trapped men. The bodies of the six miners are entombed in the mine, which has since been closed; the cause of the collapse remains a matter of debate. Investigations are ongoing into the disaster.

As devastating as the events were in America, they paled in comparison to disasters which struck elsewhere in the world during the year.

Top among them was Cyclone Sidr which hit Bangladesh in November, killing at least 3,000 people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.

Flooding from July to September across Southeast Asia, described as the worst in decades, left more than 3,200 people dead and displaced at least 25 million.

A 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Peru in August killed more than 500 people, injured 1,000 and left some 175,000 homeless.

Worldwide, economic losses from natural disasters during the year were at least $75 billion, according to reinsurer Munich Re. That figure was up 50 percent over the previous year but fell far below the $220 billion reported in 2005, a figure driven up by Hurricane Katrina.

The German-based company said 950 natural disasters were recorded worldwide in 2007 - the most since 1974 when it began keeping records - and that the number was expected to increase. There were 850 natural disasters in 2006, Munich Re said.

"All the facts indicate that losses caused by weather-related natural catastrophes will continue to rise," board member Torsten Jeworrek said in a statement. "The trend in respect of weather extremes shows that climate change is already taking effect and that more such extremes are to be expected in the future. We should not be misled by the absence of megacatastrophes in 2007."***********************************************************************************The national average for tornadoes for the preceding three years (2005-2007) shows an average of 1159 tornadoes per year. As of May 14, 2008 the USA has already had 910 reported tornadoes. At the current pace it is anticipated that we will have over 1400 tornadoes for the year 2008!

Central and Southern Illinois experienced an earthquake back on April 18, 2008. It seems as though flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, violence, atheism and Cult activities have increased like never before.***********************************************************************************And as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings [are here]! And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled? And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any [man] deceive you:

For many shall come in my name, saying, I am [Christ]; and shall deceive many. And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for [such things] must needs be; but the end [shall] not [be] yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these [are] the beginnings of sorrows.

But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them. And the gospel must first be published among all nations. But when they shall lead [you], and deliver you up, take no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Now the brother shall betray the brother to death, and the father the son; and children shall rise up against [their] parents, and shall cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth undhttp://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6591518369598505341&postID=7068293300377890136erstand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: And let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter [therein], to take any thing out of his house: And let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. Mark 13:1-16

And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here [is] Christ; or, lo, [he is] there; believe [him] not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were] possible, even the elect. But take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you all things. But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, [even] at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. Mark 13:21-31

But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch. Mark 13:32-37*************************************************************************************************The 12th Chapter of Mark ends with the story of the widow who gave her last two mites into the treasury. As you can see, Jesus is condemning this action. It is the church that is responsible for taking care of the widows and here she is giving her whole life into the treasury. That is not the way it is supposed to be. Churches today are equally guilty of not taking care of the widows and the orphans and the hungry. Too many pastors spend their time preaching the message of this widow giving sacrificially when that is not the story at all. It is about how the temple was going to be torn down. Chapter 13 goes on to talk about the Last Days.

How is your church doing? You can see by the natural disasters that are occurring all over the world, that we are indeed in, trying times! There are things occurring that have never happened before of this magnitude. Prophecy is being fulfilled and the time of the Return of Jesus is coming soon!

Are you ready to go to sleep?Knowing full well that "as a thief in the night" Jesus might return?Are you currently asleep in your walk with Christ?Are you STILL living in your old sins? The ones you just can't seem to get rid of?

Put your faith and trust in Jesus alone to save you.Repent of your sins and be obedient to His Commands.Go, into all the world preaching the gospel to every creature.

How much time do we have?Only God knows the answer to this question.Live your life today as though He might return in the next half hour!What would you do differently?

My prayers are with you all to remain faithful to His Word.Be ready to preach in season and out of season!

There will be those who will say,Lord, Lord and Jesus will say to them,Depart from Me you worker of iniquity, I never knew you!

Please don't let this happen to you!Repent of your sins and put your faith and trust in Jesus!

About Me

I am a born again Christian. I became a pastor back in 1996 and can honestly tell you that I was not truly saved while I was preaching. This blog will challenge you to examine yourself in light of Scripture to see if you are actually in the faith. It is my desire to help you grow as a Christian. To help you understand the need for obedience to God's Word, the need for repentance of your sins and the need to put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ alone! I am available for preaching in your church and for training your class on evangelism.